Anbernic’s next handheld is a horizontal device that should play up to GameCube games.
Revealed in the video below and on the company’s website, Anbernic showed off several different systems in action. The biggest take away here is how well some PSP and PS Vita games were running. Anbernic only showed a small selection, so it should be taken with a pinch of salt, but it’s always good to see improvements being made in the retro handheld space.
No release date was mentioned, but Anbernic tends to announce pre-order info around a week or two after these types of videos go up.
Anbernic also confirmed some of what powers the RG406H. As this is the next iteration in the RG406 line, it shares the same eight-core Unisoc T820 CPU found in the RG406V.
For those wondering, the previous model, the RG406V, shipped with 8GB of RAM and a quad-core Mali-G57 GPU. I’d wager it’s safe to assume we’ll be seeing similar, if not identical specs in the RG406H.
To put those specs in perspective, it’s not as powerful as the industry-leading AYN Odin 2, but for PS2-era games, it’s got enough power to run most titles.
The device also includes anti-drift hall effect sticks, customizable RGB lighting, and according to Anbernic, can play up to 30 different systems.
Let’s be real, the major hook is that 4:3 screen. Most retro handhelds, the Odin 2 included, rock a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is great for modern games, but leaves old-school retro titles — like SNES, Genesis, and a large portion of PS2 and N64 games — with ugly black bands on either side of the screen. You can stretch the picture to fill that void, but stretching often leaves the image looking terrible. The 4:3 screen found in the RG406H should, in theory, solve many of the problems modern collectors have. Here’s hoping, anyway.
